When Four Became Three
by RoseStone27140
Summary: AU, When Remus Lupin investigates a rumor on Halloween, 1981, his actions change the story that we know.
1. Chapter 1

AU, When Remus Lupin investigates a rumor on Halloween, 1981, his actions change the story that we know.

Author's Note: I own nothing. If I did, all of the Marauders, except for Peter, would have survived.

Of all the things that Remus Lupin could be doing on Halloween, sitting on a log in front of a campfire in the middle of a forest was quite possibly the last he wanted to be doing. In years past, he had spent Halloween planning a massive prank with the Marauders. Even after graduating from Hogwarts, the Marauders still spent Halloween together, playing pranks on each other. Last year had included a fierce war between James and Sirius, ending only when a stray spell had hit Lily, turning her entire body bright orange.

Remus smirked at the thought of James and Sirius cowering in front of an enraged Lily, but his face soon fell. This year, he wouldn't be spending Halloween with his friends. Instead, he was on a mission for the Dumbledore.

When his former headmaster had first approached him about spying on a werewolf pack, Remus had been hesitant to agree. For so many years of his life, he had fought against the side of him that turned into a raving, ferocious beast under the full moon. He had fought, really, for his humanity. So to join a pack seemed almost like he was surrendering all he had worked for.

But he had agreed to do it. He was a werewolf, after all. He was the perfect person to monitor the werewolf activity. And Dumbledore had asked him to do it. Remus owed so much to the headmaster that he didn't dare refuse.

"Hey Lupin." A rough voice said as a lanky body sat down next to Remus.

"Hey Seth."

Seth O'Connor was little more than a boy. 16, perhaps. Older than Remus had been when bitten, but still too young to be cursed like he was. The boy had the misfortune of belonging to parents who did not want to deal with a son who was a werewolf. As soon as he had been released from St. Mungo's, Seth had been abandoned to the packs. Being only five years older than the boy, Remus had felt drawn to befriend him. Remus remembered well the horrors that came with those early transformations, and he had had his parents to love and comfort him. Remus was not sure how he would have survived if it hadn't been for his parents.

_Any influence you can have on them, Remus, any person you can convince to stand on our side is vital. _Dumbledore's words echoed through Remus' mind. He couldn't say that he had been very successful in his mission. Those in the pack who knew something did not confide in him. But Remus had been able to befriend some of the younger werewolves, like Seth. It wasn't much, but Remus hoped that one day these friendships would be useful.

"I've heard somethin'…odd," Seth stated in a low voice. Remus looked at the younger boy with a raised eyebrow and motioned for him to continue. "Greyback is talkin', just came back from a meetin' somewhere. Looks pretty excited."

Remus' chest had tightened at the mention of Greyback. It hurt to be so close to the man who had caused him so much pain. But the werewolf who had bitten him was in charge of the largest pack in Britain. It was the ideal group to spy on.

"What was Greyback saying?" Remus asked softly. It was always a delicate position, this spying business. He needed to get the information, but he didn't want to seem too interested.

"Well… He was sayin' somethin' 'bout the Dark Lord." Seth paused for a second. "Sayin' somethin' like the Dark Lord was gonna 'triumph' tonight." The younger boy looked troubled at that thought. "What do ya make of it?"

Remus was quiet a moment, unsure of what to say. He didn't know what side Seth was taking in this war. So, he decided on something that he thought was safe. "I'm not a Seer, Seth, so I couldn't say, really, what will happen in the future. I suppose we'll just have to wait and see."

Seth nodded, looking a bit less uneasy. He mumbled something about getting dinner before getting up, leaving Remus alone in his thoughts.

Of all the things that Seth could have told him, his statement about the Dark Lord was the worst. Of course, the werewolves had been predicting the triumph of the Dark Lord for a while now, and every time before, Remus had been able to dismiss those claims without much thought. But this time seemed different.

Perhaps it was because of the state of the Order these days. They had lost so many already. Marlene. Dorcas. The Prewitt twins. The stress had taken its toll on the surviving members, also. Remus knew that he looked like crap at the moment. He hadn't had a proper meal or a bath in a month. Hadn't seen his friends in that amount of time either. And the last time he had seen the Marauders, something had felt off. Peter had become more withdrawn. He had lost quite a bit of weight. Sirius had become paranoid. His eyes had darted everywhere, and it was obvious from the dark shadows under his eyes that he was not sleeping well. And James, Lily, and Harry… well, James had never been the sort of person to take being cooped up well.

Remus had received a letter from Lily a few days ago. He hadn't had much contact lately. It was too dangerous, but Dumbledore had managed to get him the letter. It was short, which was surprising since he was used to getting ten-page letters from Lily. But he could tell that she was stressed.

_We've had to go into hiding_, it said. _Dumbledore advised us to use the Fidelius charm. I'm sure you, oh great intelligent one, know what that is so I won't go into the long explanation that Dumbledore gave us. But we chose Sirius to be our Secret Keeper. We both trust him with our lives. We trust you with our lives too, but we wanted to perform the charm as soon as possible, and we didn't want to pull you away from whatever mission you are on. I've enclosed a note from Sirius, so that you can find us if you need to. Please burn this note and Sirius' as soon as you read them. Take care of yourself. We miss you terribly._

Remus had stared at the two notes for several minutes before burning them. He felt like he was missing out on so much of his friends' lives because of this mission. But he was glad for Lily. If not for her, Remus doubted that he would have been told about the Fidelius charm until he got back. Not because James didn't care about him, but because James absolutely loathed writing letters. 

As Remus sat there thinking about his friends, a thought struck him, causing his breath to leave his lungs. For some reason unknown to him, Voldemort had targeted the Potters. He seemed quite offended that the Potters had faced and escaped him three times. But Seth had said that Voldemort would triumph that night. What sort of triumph did that mean? Did it mean he would triumph against the Ministry or against Dumbledore? Or did it mean that tonight, Voldemort had some hope of destroying the Potters?

_Impossible,_ Remus told himself. James, Lily, and Harry were all sequestered in their house at Godric's Hollow. Sirius was their Secret Keeper. And he would never betray his best friend… Would he?

Remus took several breaths to try to control his thoughts and heartbeat. He tried to reason with himself.

_Dumbledore wants me here. With the pack. He would be disappointed if I were to leave. This is my mission. This is where I need to be._

But another voice, one that was becoming increasingly loud, countered.

_But what if there is some truth to the rumor that Seth has passed on? What if James and Lily and Harry are in danger?_

Remus thought through all of his options. He could go to see the Potters. If something were to happen, he would be on hand. He had scored top marks in Defence Against the Dark Arts and was a decent dueler. And if he went and nothing happened, well, it would be nice to see his friends again. It might look suspicious to some in the pack, him leaving. But he could think of some excuse.

Or he could stay here. Nothing could happen, and he would avoid disappointing Dumbledore. But if he stayed here and something did happen…

It was that thought that made Remus stand and grab his bag.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Thank you to everybody who reviewed, followed, and added this story to their favorites!

I still own nothing.

"Honestly, Evans, are you really going to make my godson eat that? It looks like dog crap!"

"Honestly, Black, James and I have been married for two years now. It's not 'Evans' anymore. And yes, I am making your godson eat that because he is my son, and I get to decide what he eats. And please watch your language in front of young, impressionable children."

James Potter smiled at the banter between two of the most important people in his life. Just by listening, one might think that the two hated each other, but James knew better. Sirius had a mischievous glint in his eye, and Lily had a smirk on her lips as she forced Harry to eat his smashed carrots.

Honestly, he agreed with Sirius, and so did Harry apparently, if his refusal to eat the vegetables was any indication. But when he had brought it up, Lily had been quite adamant that their son eat carrots. Apparently, this vegetable was supposed to help with Harry's vision.

_Merlin forbid our son have eyesight as bad as yours, James Potter._

_ Oh, come on! I mistake your hairspray for my shaving cream one time!_

_ Three times, James! Three times!_

So even though he was on his best friend's side in this particular instance, James was not about to voice his opinion.

"As for the dog crap, you would know exactly what that looks like, wouldn't you, Sirius?" James joked instead. Sirius' bark of laughter echoed throughout the room as Lily made another comment about language.

It seemed odd, sometimes, these moments. They were in the middle of a war. He and his wife and son were in hiding. An evil wizard wanted them dead. But James was filled with peace. He had his best friend beside him and the love of his life and son in front of him. Of course, life could be better. But sitting here, eating his dinner, laughing… well, it made things seem less serious.

As James lifted his fork to take another bite, a knock sounded at the door. Lily and Sirius looked up in alarm. A bit of fear shot through James too, but he tried not to let that show. They didn't get very many visitors these days. The only people who even knew where they were were the Marauders and Dumbledore.

"I'll get it," James said and stood, drawing his wand out from his back pocket.

"James, be careful," Lily cautioned softly.

James laughed and stopped to kiss her forehead. "I highly doubt that Voldemort would be knocking at our door, Lilyflower." As James turned, he heard Sirius force a laugh.

In all honesty, Sirius concerned him much more than anything else these days. Once a lively and confident boy, Sirius had become much quieter. But what scared James the most was the paranoia. There was a traitor in their midst, that much was certain. But some time ago, Sirius had decided that that traitor was Remus. Every time Sirius came around now, he mentioned it to James. James didn't want to believe that anyone was betraying them to Voldemort. They had all been so loyal to each other when they were in school. Surely not that much had changed. However, James couldn't help but be partially swayed by his best friend. The two were more like brothers, really. Besides Lily's, Sirius' was the opinion that mattered the most to James.

And Sirius had brought up some good points. It had been a month since anyone had seen or heard from Remus, and this had become a common occurrence. He would disappear for a while, without telling any of the Marauders where he was going or what he was doing. Even when he was around, Remus was quiet. Of course, he had always been quiet. But this was the kind of quiet that indicated that he was trying to keep something from them. It was the kind of quiet that he had been right before the James, Sirius, and Peter had discovered his secret in their second year.

This all concerned James. So, while he still had doubts that Remus was the traitor, James had become more cautious around him, to the point where they had not told him about the switch in Secret Keepers.

James shook his head to clear the troubling thoughts as he approached the front door. "Who's there?" he said cautiously.

"Remus Lupin," a rough voice said from the other side.

Despite James' misgivings about the man, he couldn't help but smile. He had missed his friend. And until the day that he proved himself to be the traitor, James would welcome him with open arms. But first, a security question… "What was the first detention that we served together?"  
James heard a small chuckle before Remus answered. "We had to clean Moaning Myrtle's bathroom the Muggle way. Took us five bloody hours."

James laughed too as he began undoing all the wards on the front door. "Would've taken us about half that time if Moaning Myrtle hadn't decided to keep overflowing all the toilets." His smile fell a little upon seeing his friend, but he quickly pulled him inside.

James had seen Remus in many different states of wellness over the years, but it had been a long time since he had seen him look this badly. Remus was incredibly thin; his tattered robes hung on him. His hair had more grey in it than ever before, and a substantial beard had appeared on his face. What was most troubling, though, was the look in his eyes. There was a weariness there that James had never seen before.

"It's been a while. How are you, Moony?" James asked as he embraced his friend.

"Been better, to be honest. But also been worse." Remus cracked a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Well, come on in then. Lily will have my head if you don't say 'hi.'" James smiled and turned to lead his friend into the dining room. "Look who I found at the door." He stepped aside to let Sirius and Lily see Remus. The former offered a greeting but stayed in his seat with a wary expression on his face. The latter jumped up and embraced their visitor.

"Remus, love, you look… awful."  
Remus' smile widened at Lily's blunt comment. "Gee, Lil, what a greeting. I really should come by more often."

"Yes, you should," Lily stated emphatically, punctuating the comment with a slap to Remus' arm. "Why don't you go to the loo and clean up? I'll get you some dinner."

Remus looked around with an insecure expression on his face. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt…"

"Nonsense!" Lily said. "You know that you are always welcome here. Now go clean up." Lily turned Remus around and gave him a slight push in the direction of the loo.

James smiled at the happy look on his wife's face. She and Remus had been close for a long time, ever since first year. He knew that she had missed Remus just as much as James had.

But James' smile fell when he noticed the look on Sirius' face.

"What is he doing here?" Sirius asked gruffly.

"Sirius, stop. He's just as welcome here as you are." Lily sat down and tried to force another spoonful of carrots into Harry's mouth.

"It's dangerous for him to be here. What if he is the traitor? What if he's here to hurt you?"  
James could see the anger brewing in Lily's face. He silently begged his friend to let it go.

"I've had enough of this, Sirius. While Remus is here, I don't want to hear anything about this fool theory that you have. It's preposterous, thinking that he's the traitor."

"It's not _preposterous_, Lily. Someone's the traitor. It's not either of you. It's not me. It's not Peter. That leaves Remus."

"That's not a good enough reason to suspect somebody. So, unless you have some solid evidence implicating him, I don't want to hear it."

Sirius opened his mouth to reply, but at that moment, Remus came back in the room. He looked marginally better. He definitely looked cleaner, and he had shaved. But there was still an unsettling look in his eye.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who is reading.

Once again, I own nothing.

James had been planning a nice, relaxing evening with his wife. _A Muggle evening_, Lily liked to call it. After Harry's bath, they would sit on the floor in the living room and play Muggle board games or watch a Muggle movie. No wands, no magic. Just them. But those plans went right out the window with the arrival of Sirius and Remus.

To say that the evening had been awkward so far was a vast understatement. James had tried to act normally, but, like so many other times, his best friend's mood was influencing him. Sirius sat on the chair next to the fireplace in a serious brood. He had barely said a word all night, instead choosing to play with Harry. Lily and Remus had made casual conversation, but even they had fallen silent several moments ago.

"What are you doing here, Remus?" Sirius asked suddenly.

Remus' head snapped in his direction. "Well… I haven't seen you all in such a long time. I just felt like coming around for a visit."

"Really? Is that so?" James flinched at Sirius' accusing tone.

Remus paused. "Of course. Why else would I come?"

"I don't know. Maybe you are here because-"

"Sirius!" Lily's voice cut through the living room, stopping whatever Sirius had been about to say.

"No, Lily. Let's let Sirius continue. I'm quite interested now in what he was going to say." Remus scooted up to sit on the edge of the sofa with a suspicious look on his face.

Sirius shifted in his seat, and while he stared Remus down, he did not say anything.

"You're not going to continue then, Padfoot? But I can guess where you were going with that. You think I'm the traitor, don't you?"

With that statement, James decided that he had never been more uncomfortable in all of his life. Here he was, sitting with three of the most important people in his life, four if you counted Harry. He trusted them all completely, at least he had. He didn't want to suspect anyone of being a traitor, but the fact was that there was one. Sirius was sure that it was Remus. James was starting to question their werewolf friend as well, but never in a million years would he have confronted Remus about it without solid evidence. Sirius, on the other hand, was always so much more blunt than James had ever been.

An awkward silence filled the room as Sirius and Remus stared at each other. Then, slowly, Sirius nodded. James watched as Remus took a deep, calming breath.

"I'm not. The traitor, I mean."

"I wasn't expecting you to admit it, mate." Sirius' words held all of the venom that James knew he had been holding in for months. His tone didn't exactly take James by surprise; he had heard it before. But what did surprise James was Remus' reaction.

Instead of becoming angry or being embarrassed, Remus simply leaned back into the sofa. "I wasn't expecting you to believe me, mate," he said almost nonchalantly.

Lily looked to James, begging him with her eyes to do something. But James wasn't sure what to do. It seemed an impossible situation, with two of his best friends so against each other. He wished, not for the first time, that they could go back in time. Back to when they were at Hogwarts and didn't have to worry about wars or murders or traitors. When their greatest worries were exams or detentions or whether Lily Evans would ever go out with him. But James knew that they could never go back.

He took a deep breath, wondering how to make this horribly awkward situation better.

_A distraction_. That's what this called for. James had always been the master of distractions, but he wasn't quite sure he could effectively pull one off at the moment. This was no time for pranks, so he would have to settle for a verbal distraction.

"Padfoot, mate, weren't you going to check on Wormtail tonight?" James asked, hoping that his friend would take the bait. Nobody had seen Peter since the Fidelius Charm had been performed a week earlier. Sirius had planned on having dinner with the Potters before going to check on Peter. Then, Sirius himself would be going into hiding.

Sirius looked torn for a second before obviously deciding on his course of action. "I'm not leaving until he leaves." Sirius nodded towards Remus.

A hard look settled onto Remus's face. "Well then, you'll be staying here quite a while, Padfoot, because I'm not leaving until you do."

James buried his face in his hands. _That didn't work._

* * *

When they were at Hogwarts, there had very rarely been a dull moment among the four Marauders. Remus, of course, had been perfectly content with reading for hours on end, and Peter had been happy to do whatever the others wanted to do. It was mainly James and Sirius who ever found themselves bored, and when one of them did, the other one was happy to come up with something to entertain them. Those who didn't know them well might have thought that the "entertainment" consisted mainly of pranks, and for the most part, they would be right. But the boys had never had any trouble conversing either.

It seemed as though their time of easy conversation had passed. James tried to think of what to talk about, but with one friend accusing the other of being a traitor, there were very few topics that those two friends were eager to discuss. In fact, they did very little talking at all. Instead, Sirius and Remus glared at each other.

"This is ridiculous, you know," Lily said softly. Harry had fallen asleep in Sirius' arms some time ago, and she seemed reluctant to talk too loudly in fear of waking him. "You two have been best friends for years. You can't just sit here staring holes at each other. Talk."

"Lily, I..." Remus started, but a strange expression came over his face, and he stiffened in his seat. He tilted his head, as though he were listening to something outside.

There were few advantages to being a werewolf, one of them being extra sensitive hearing. The first time James and Sirius had seen Remus tilt his head to listen to something far away, the boys had laughed at the werewolf's claims of Filch being on his way. They soon stopped laughing when Filch did indeed show up, and they got detention for wandering the halls in the middle of the night. James and Sirius hadn't understood why Remus could hear so well at first, but they began to trust what he was saying. And when they found out his secret a year later, it made perfect sense.

So, when Remus walked over to the window and peered out the curtains, James immediately joined him.

He could barely see anything, at first. Night had fallen, and the darkness hid most of Godric's Hollow. But then he saw something… someone move.

James heart seemed to stop as a figure glided across the street towards their house. He couldn't see the person's face, but at once, he knew who it was.

_No. No. No._

"No," Sirius whispered, echoing James' thoughts. He too stood at the window, his voice full of dread.

"What is it? What's going on? James?" Lily asked. His wife's voice drew James out of his momentary stupor.

"Lily, take Harry and go upstairs." James quickly took Harry from Sirius and placed him in Lily's arms.

"But the Fidelius Charm… Nobody will be able to get through."

"I'm not going to take any chances right now."

"But James-"

"Go, Lily!" James hated shouting at his wife, but it seemed to be the only way to get through to her, because at his words, she turned and ran up the stairs.

James turned back to the window, his eyes fixed on the figure that was the subject of his nightmares. Voldemort.

"Where does the Fidelius Charm begin, Prongs?" Remus asked, his voice quiet but hard.

"At the gate." James held his breath as he watched Voldemort step closer and closer.

_Please stop. Please don't come any closer. Please_. But James knew it was useless, even as Voldemort stepped through the gate and towards the house that he shouldn't have even been able to see.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed. This is my first time writing a fanfic, so your reviews have been very encouraging!

I own copies of the _Harry Potter _series, but, alas, I don't own the originals.

_Peter betrayed us_. Over and over, the thought swirled in James' mind. As much as he hated to believe that any of his friends could betray them, there was now no denying that Peter had done just that. That was the only way that Voldemort could know where they were.

The three remaining Marauders cursed and turned from the window simultaneously.

"What do we do, Prongs?" Sirius asked. James noticed the glare that Remus was directing at Sirius, and something suddenly occurred to him.

"Moony," James said, grabbing onto the other man's arm, "we switched Secret Keepers. Peter is our Secret Keeper. Not Sirius. Peter betrayed us. Not Sirius."

A range of emotions flashed across Remus' face. Surprise. Shock. Betrayal. Hurt. But he soon buried those emotions and nodded. "All right. So what do we do now?"

James was always surprised at Remus' level head, but he knew that now was not the time to marvel over it. "We have to protect Lily and Harry."

Under any other circumstances, James would have grabbed his wife and his son and fled. Forget Gryffindor bravery. If given the option, James would have run as fast and as far as possible. But the Floo Network to his house had been disconnected, and there were Anti-Apparition wards in place. They couldn't flee. There was nowhere for them to go. They would have to fight.

Sirius and Remus nodded, and the three of them moved to the front hallway. The front door was blasted open and they jumped to the side, Remus into the doorway of the kitchen and James and Sirius into the doorway to the sitting room. Silence followed, except for the rustling of robes. For a moment, James noticed the irony of his comment to Lily at dinner. No, Voldemort didn't come knocking at their door. Instead, he blew it apart.

"Come out now, surrender, and I will spare you," the voice echoed throughout the house, and fear struck James.

He looked at his two best friends, and the looks on their faces strengthened him. "Never." He had not shouted, was unsure really if he had spoken loud enough. But when a curse blasted its way past him, he knew that he had.

The three Marauders sprung into action, all of them shooting spells around the corner at the adversary that they could not see but could almost feel. James and Sirius were in sync, just like always. James would lean around the corner long enough to fire a spell off, then he would pull back and Sirius would lean over him to do the same. Across the hall, Remus was holding his own. Until a red light connected with his arm.

James froze as he watched Remus grimace in pain. But instead of giving up, the injury seemed to make the werewolf even more determined. Remus lifted himself off the floor, and with a look unlike anything James had ever seen on his usually docile face, leaned around the corner and shot off a green curse.

_The Killing Curse. _James was surprised for a moment that Remus had used an Unforgivable. But then he noticed that green beams of light were being sent in their direction too. That is when the seriousness of the situation hit him.

Voldemort had discovered their location. Had come here personally. Alone. Despite what he had said when first entering the home, there would be no mercy. He was not here to collect prisoners. He was here to kill James. And Lily and Harry.

Someone had told him once that Unforgivable Curses would only work if the caster really and truly meant them. As anger filled him, James shot a Killing Curse around the corner. Because he had never wanted somebody dead as much as he did Voldemort. Because he would protect his family if it cost him his life.

Now every curse that was being cast was a Killing Curse. Fortunately and unfortunately at the same time, none of the curses had hit its mark. But James knew that eventually someone would slip up. They had to end this. Now.

He and Sirius shared a look, and James could tell that his best friend had been thinking the same thing. Looking across the hallway, his eyes connected with Remus' and they both nodded. They were all on the same page then.

As he heard Voldemort move down the hall, closer to them, James counted down. _Three. Two. One. _As one, the Marauders stepped into the hallway and shot Killing Curses at their target. From behind James, on the staircase, another jet of green light shot out. Voldemort had been in the middle of the Killing Curse incantation when the first curse hit him. James wasn't sure whose wand that first curse had come from, but joy filled him as it hit its target.

But Voldemort didn't fall, like every other person James had seen who had been hit with the fatal curse. Instead, a bright light seemed to shoot out from within him. James saw the light a second before a blast knocked him off his feet and into the stairs. He told himself to stay awake. To check on Sirius and Remus. Lily and Harry. But the darkness was creeping in on him, and he was powerless against it.

* * *

James was disoriented for the first few seconds after waking up. Every part of him hurt, especially his head. And he was lying in the most uncomfortable position against the stairs.

But then it came back to him. Voldemort had found them. James, Sirius, and Remus had fought against him. And won? As James lifted his head, he saw a wand lying in the middle of the hallway. There was no body, but surely Voldemort had been vanquished.

_Lily_. The thought of his wife caused James to lift himself onto his feet. Looking behind him, he saw his wife on the stairs, passed out. She must've come downstairs in the middle of the fight. She must've been the one to cast the fourth Killing Curse. James rushed up to her and put his hand on her cheek.

"Lily, love, are you all right? Lily?" He held his breath until her eyes fluttered open.

"James?"

"It's okay, love. We're okay." James scooped her up into a hug. He held on to her tightly, never wanting to let her go.

"Harry…" Lily whispered, and he immediately helped her stand. They clung to each other as they made their way upstairs to their son's room.

The young boy was sitting in his crib, bawling his eyes out. He was scared, but he appeared to be unharmed. Lily raced over and picked him up, cradling him against her.

"It's all right, sweetheart. Mummy's here. And I love you. I love you so much, Harry." Lily's voice cracked as tears slid down her cheeks. James stepped forward and encircled them both with his arms. Lily cried into his shoulder as Harry's cries quieted to hiccups.

"Is he all right?" Sirius asked, standing in the doorway. James felt momentary guilt for not checking to see if his friends were all right before racing upstairs, but he supposed that they would understand.

"Yeah, he is. Are you?" he asked as Sirius stepped closer to Harry and pulled a face at the boy, trying to make him laugh.

"A bit shaken, to be honest. But I'll live." The two friends shared a small smile.

"And Remus?" Lily asked quietly.

"He's fine. Dumbledore and Moody are here. Moony is talking to them." Sirius paused and took a deep breath. "I can't believe I thought he was the traitor. I trusted Wormtail when I should've been trusting Moony, and I-"

"Stop, Sirius," Lily said, placing a hand on his arm. "You can't worry about the 'should haves.' The important thing right now is that we are all safe. Although, I do think that you owe Remus an apology."

Sirius hung his head. "Of course, I do."

James put his hand on Sirius' shoulder. "I owe him one too. We'll apologize together. You know the poor man can't hold up for very long while under pressure from both of us." Sirius' face broke into a smile.

James was glad that he had been able to lighten the situation, but he wasn't entirely sure about the truthfulness of what he said. It was true that Remus had usually caved to James and Sirius in the past. But they had never experienced anything like this before. They had thought the worst of him, and James wasn't so sure that Remus would forgive them as easily as in the past.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: Thank you to those of you who reviewed the last chapter!

CheshireMouse: Nope. James isn't the Horcrux now. Voldemort made each Horcrux by killing someone. Since Voldemort didn't kill anyone on Halloween in this story, the last Horcrux was never made.

I'm only a lowly college student, not an international bestselling author. Unfortunately.

"First of all, I must say how glad I am that you all are safe," Albus Dumbledore said.

Unlike the other times that James had been in the headmaster's office, the great wizard was not sitting at his desk. Instead, he was sitting in a chair he had conjured up in front of the fireplace. Remus too was sitting in a chair next to the sofa that James, Lily, Harry, and Sirius were sitting on.

After James and his family had come downstairs, Dumbledore had told them to pack anything important. When that was done, they had all Flooed to the Headmaster's office. While James knew it was necessary for Dumbledore to get all of the information he needed about that night's events, all he really wanted to do was sleep. Although he wasn't quite sure where that sleeping would take place.

"Now, Remus has told me that you switched Secret Keepers, that it was Peter and not Sirius who divulged your whereabouts to Voldemort; is that true?" Dumbledore asked. When James nodded, he continued. "That is most unfortunate. I must admit that I did not think Peter capable of this, but what's done is done. Alastor knows this also, and he will have the Aurors on the lookout for him."

"What will happen to him, if he's caught?" Lily asked. Her voice was a mixture of anger and worry. James knew the feeling well. It was hard to believe that someone he had known since he was eleven could betray him, and it was hard to stop caring about his well-being.

"I do not know, but it is likely that he will be put on trial. It may be hard to prove his connection to Voldemort, and even then, if he was not involved with any of the attacks, the Wizengamot may be hesitant about sentencing him to Azkaban."

"That's what he deserves," Sirius said, cursing Peter before remembering that Harry was in the room. "Sorry, Lily." Lily simply shrugged and moved her hands away from Harry's ears.

"I am curious," Dumbledore continued, "as to why you, Remus and Sirius, were both at the Potters. It was a good thing that you were, mind you, but why?"

"I wasn't supposed to be there," Sirius began, after Remus seemed hesitant to answer. "I was just supposed to have dinner; then I was going to check on Peter. Make sure he was okay. But I decided to stay when Remus said he was staying." Sirius shot Remus a glance. "I'm sorry, mate, for ever thinking that you were the traitor."

Remus held up his hand to stop him. "We can discuss that later, Sirius." Sirius hesitated, then nodded. Remus looked at Dumbledore before speaking again. "I heard a rumor that Voldemort had been bragging to Greyback about being triumphant tonight. I couldn't shake the feeling that it had something to do with James and Lily, so I went to their house to make sure that nothing came of it."

James had gasped in the middle of Remus' explanation. "Greyback? Isn't he…"

"The werewolf who bit me? Yes. He is." Remus wouldn't make eye contact with anyone.

"What were you doing near Greyback?" Sirius asked. James could tell that Sirius tried not to sound suspicious, but the same thought seemed to have entered both of their minds at the same time. _Could Remus have betrayed us too?_

"I believe that I can answer that," Dumbledore said. "As I'm sure you know, Voldemort has gathered some supporters in the werewolf packs. I thought it would be prudent if we were to have an insider there, and Remus agreed to the job. For a while now, he has been infiltrating some of the packs, Greyback's in particular, to gain what information that he can."

James was too shocked to speak for a moment. Time and time again, Remus had told them how awful the packs were. How blessed he had been that his parents had kept him instead of abandoning him to a pack after being bitten. The packs sounded like someone's worst nightmare. So the thought of his kind, caring friend being in the middle of that nightmare concerned James. But it did explain some things, such as the long periods of time in which they wouldn't see or hear from Remus. Or his appearance when they did see him. Or the look in his eyes that James had noticed earlier.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Lily asked, being the first one to recover from the shock.

Remus met their gazes, finally, sheepishly. "I thought that you would try to talk me out of it, and I probably would've listened to you."

"Da-darn right we would've talked you out of it!" Sirius exclaimed, a look from Lily causing him to avoid cursing, and James smiled. That sounded like the old Sirius.

"I think, perhaps, that we have more important things to discuss than my mission with the packs," Remus said, obviously trying to shift the focus away from him. James contemplated pushing the issue but decided that it was meant for another time.

"What happens now, Albus?" James asked. "Is Voldemort really gone?"

Dumbledore let out a heavy sigh. "For now, yes."

"For now?" The three Marauders asked simultaneously.

"Yes, for now." Another heavy sigh. "I have reasons to believe, reasons which I cannot share with you at the moment, that Voldemort will return one day."

_Crap. _Just when James thought that his life could return to some sort of normalcy.

"However, I do not think that day will come soon. And for now, I think it would be best for us to live our lives as we wish to. It does us no good to sit around waiting for evil to come." Dumbledore smiled at them encouragingly. "As for what to do right now, I think it would be best if you were to go into hiding somewhere new, just until we make sure that there will be no attempts on your lives by Death Eaters. I have a place in mind for you if you do not have another place to go."

"I'd offer my flat, but it's awfully small for all of us," Sirius said.

"And it smells like you, which Lily can't stand," James added, causing Sirius to make a face of mock indignation.

"Remus?"

"I was evicted some time ago, so no, I can't think of any place," Remus said, looking down at his hands.

That was news to James. Something else he would have to discuss with his friend.

"Would we all be together then, in this place of yours?" Lily asked Dumbledore. The look on her face was practically begging him to say yes.

"Yes, you would be." Dumbledore gave them a reassuring smile. "We are at our strongest when we are with those we love. And I have a feeling that there are some issues to be resolved among you. I would be the Secret Keeper, and I assure you that you would be perfectly safe."

All four of the adults in the room nodded, but Dumbledore suddenly had an apprehensive look on his face.

"Remus, I do have a favor to ask of you," Dumbledore said gently.

"You want me to go back to Greyback's pack to see the werewolves' reaction to Voldemort's defeat."

James' eyes widened as Dumbledore nodded.

"Precisely. Of course, if you would prefer to stay here…"

James saw Remus swallow hard, but his face looked determined. "I will go. I'll leave immediately."

"Remus, no!" Lily said in alarm. "You could get hurt."

Remus smiled humorlessly at her. "I'll be fine, Lily. I know how to take care of myself. And I'll be back soon."

Lily paused a moment. "Fine. But swear to me that you'll come back to us in one piece."

"Lily-"

"Swear to me, Remus."

Remus sighed. "I solemnly swear that I will come back to you in one piece. Happy?" James chuckled softly at the use of the familiar Marauder phrase.

Lily scratched her chin, as if in thought. "I suppose so." She stood up and hugged him, which was somewhat awkward since Harry was in her arms.

James and Sirius stood and embraced their friend too.

"Be careful, all right?" James said. Remus nodded and left the room.

It was strange to see him go. He had watched him leave before, of course. But unlike before, James actually knew where Remus was going this time. And he was decidedly uneasy about the situation.

"Now," Dumbledore said when the door had closed behind Remus, "I am sure that you want to rest, so let us talk about your new safe house."


	6. Chapter 6

Author's note: Thanks for the reviews, follows, and favorites!

ohsosirius: The plan is to have some time jumps, but we'll still get to see Harry growing up.

I own nothing.

When his father had first given him the invisibility cloak, James had been thrilled. The cloak had been incredibly useful. He and his three friends had huddled under it and caused all kinds of mischief. But it hadn't taken long for the Marauders to outgrow the cloak. By the boys' sixth year, they could no longer all fit under it at the same time. They were forced to take it take it out two at a time.

Now, at the ages of 21 and 22, James and Sirius were using it once again. This was the second day that they had been in Dumbledore's safe house. James and Lily had gotten used to being in hiding, to entertaining themselves. Sirius, however, was not used to it. He had never been someone who had been content to sit still. He was used to doing whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted.

They really weren't supposed to be leaving the house. The Fidelius Charm only extended to a certain point. But Sirius was driving Lily crazy. She was used to him being around, but she had never spent so much time in his company at once. The only time that Sirius wasn't talking was when he transformed into Padfoot and gave Harry rides around the house.

_I swear, James, if you don't take him and do something, I will murder him!_

So, to save his best mate from his wife's wrath, James had decided to take a little walk with Sirius underneath his invisibility cloak.

He had asked for the cloak back from Dumbledore right before they moved to the new safe house. It was comforting to have its protection back. And hiding underneath it next to Sirius brought back fond memories of Hogwarts.

"Does this count as a romantic walk on the beach, Prongsie?" Sirius whispered, even though they were the only ones nearby.

Dumbledore's safe house was located on a secluded beach. There were no houses nearby, and they had not seen another person since arriving. It had been relaxing the first day, but now James could tell that Sirius was ready to leave and do something.

"We may be walking on the beach, Pads, but it's the exact opposite of romantic. The only reason we are doing this is so that Lily doesn't kill you in your sleep."

"Ah, she doesn't mean it. Evans loves me."

James rolled his eyes. "She's a Potter now, mate. And I think it's more that she tolerates you. Some of the time."

Sirius laughed. "It's just an act to mask her true feelings."

"True feelings?"

"Yep. She's madly in love with me."

"You do realize that this is my _wife_ you are talking about, right?"

"Of course. She just married you to get close to me."

"That makes no sense."

"It does. You're just too blind to see it."

James felt some of the stress he had been experiencing for the past year dissipate. Finally, Sirius was returning to his normal self. This was the Sirius that James had always known. The boy- now man- who could make a joke at the most unlikely of times and about the most unlikely of things.

"Come on, then, Pads. Let's go back to the house and get Lily's opinion on the matter," James said, turning around and heading back in the direction of the safe house.

"Fine, but you'll regret it once she announces how she really feels. Things will be pretty awkward for you. Your wife being in love with your best friend, and all that." Sirius winked at him.

James laughed. If they hadn't been hiding under his invisibility cloak, he would've shoved Sirius. "Padfoot?"

"Yeah, mate?"

"Shut up."

Sirius' bark of a laugh rang out as the two drew closer towards their temporary home. They passed easily through the barrier on the Fidelius Charm, and James threw the cloak off of them and bundled it up under his arm. The back door to the cottage was open, and James could hear his wife muttering, seemingly to herself.

"Ouch!" James and Sirius stopped as a distinctly masculine voice exclaimed.

"Well, if you would hold still, maybe I could heal it and it wouldn't hurt!" Lily's voice propelled the two into motion.

As they entered the kitchen, they saw a man sitting with his back towards them. Lily was bending over in front of him, her hands on his face. In any other situation, James would be worried about his wife's safety, but he recognized the figure.

"Moony! You're back!" James shouted.

Lily huffed as Remus turned around to face the other two Marauders. James' and Sirius' mouths gaped open as they saw his face.

Remus' eye and cheek were swollen. A dark purple bruise had formed across the entire left side of his face. His nose was crooked and his lip was split. Suddenly, his exclamation of _Ouch! _made perfect sense.

"What happened?" Sirius demanded. Remus opened his mouth to talk, but he winced.

"Here. Let me heal you, and then you can tell us what happened," James said, moving forward. Remus nodded gratefully.

James quickly muttered the healing spells that he had learned over the years. Having a werewolf as a friend had inspired the Marauders to learn some of what Madam Pomfrey did to help Remus. James had been the most proficient with the healing spells, and this knowledge had come in handy. And not just after full moons. Between Quidditch accidents and slightly dangerous pranks, the Marauders had needed James to heal them more than once.

In just a matter of a few minutes, Remus' face was somewhat back to normal. There was still a slight bruise and some swelling, but he was now able to talk without grimacing in pain.

"Thanks," Remus muttered. His eyes moved to his hands and stayed there even after James and Sirius sat down next to him.

James had been both dreading and anticipating this moment for the past two days. On the one hand, he was so thankful that Remus had made it back in one piece. On the other hand, he knew that now the Marauders would need to have a difficult conversation about what had happened. James and Sirius had talked about this moment quite a bit lately, mostly about how they were going to go about apologizing to the friend they had doubted. But no amount of preparation prepared them for the awkwardness of the moment.

"So…" Lily began, setting a steaming mug of tea in front of Remus.

Remus looked up at her with a smile of appreciation. "So… I owe you an explanation, then?"

James and Sirius shared a look before nodding. Remus hadn't really explained much to them in Dumbledore's office. And even though they knew he was not the traitor, they still needed to hear what Remus had been doing.

Remus took a deep breath before beginning. "Dumbledore first asked me to spy on Greyback's pack around the time that Harry was born. I- well, I refused. I know the kinds of people that join the packs, and I didn't want to have anything to do with that. But I've always owed Dumbledore so much, and I was the perfect person for the job. So about a year ago, I agreed.

"At first, I wasn't with the pack day and night. I was trying to gain their trust and acceptance. Around a month ago, I moved to the pack full-time. I- I didn't tell you because I knew that if you told me not to go, I wouldn't do it. It was easier that way, or at least I thought it was." Remus met each of their eyes imploringly.

James nodded. He understood his friend's reasoning. He didn't like it, but he understood it.

"I wasn't incredibly successful, but I did gain the trust of some of the members of the pack. It was one of those members that told me about Greyback's meeting with Voldemort. I wasn't sure what it meant, but I was afraid that it had something to do with you. So I left the pack and went to find you."

"And we're so glad you did." Lily reached across the table and gripped Remus' hand.

"I am too," Remus replied softly.

"What happened when you went back to the pack? How did they respond to Voldemort being defeated?" Sirius asked.

Remus paused for a moment. "The pack had a mixed reaction. For the most part, the pack members didn't want a war, never wanted to fight. But Voldemort was promising so much to them. Freedom that the Ministry has never granted them. And some were quire upset that they would never see any of that freedom. A few of them began to get violent, so I decided it was time for me to leave. So, I… well, I got myself thrown out." Remus shrugged sheepishly while the other three looked at him in confusion.

"How do you get yourself thrown out of a werewolf pack? And why?" Sirius voiced the questions that were running through James' head. He knew that Remus hated to get into trouble, so he couldn't imagine him doing anything worthy of being thrown out of a pack.

"You get yourself thrown out by picking a fight with the third-in-command. Which explains this." Remus gestured to his face, and James winced as he thought about how Remus must've gotten the injuries. "As for why, well, I couldn't just leave. It would look suspicious if I ever need to go back. But if I do need to go back now, I can always… grovel or beg for forgiveness or something."

"Why would you need to go back?" James asked. Personally, he wasn't going to let Remus go back to the pack without a fight, and he couldn't think of a good reason as to why he would need to go back.

Remus met James' gaze. "Dumbledore seems to think that we haven't seen the last of Voldemort. If that's true and he does come back, he might recruit werewolves again." Remus shrugged. "I thought it would be a bad idea to burn that bridge completely. And it would be more suspicious of me to simply leave than to be kicked out."

James wasn't sure that he completely understood or agreed, but he nodded anyway. He didn't really want to talk about Voldemort at the moment. Instead, the Marauders needed to have a different conversation.

"Remus-" James began.

"Have you talked to Dumbledore?" Remus asked quickly, as though he knew what James was going to say.

James sighed and shook his head. "Not since coming here. Why?"

Remus looked hesitant for a moment. "The Aurors arrested Peter."


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: This chapter is a longer than all the others, but I didn't want to split it in two.

Standard disclaimer applies.

James, Lily, and Sirius had been in a state of shock when they had first arrived at their new safe house. They hadn't quite known what they were feeling after the overwhelming night they had had. But by morning, their emotions had been clearer.

And Sirius' main emotion was anger.

Sirius had been completely committed to tracking Peter down and killing him. James had tried to reason with him, to hold him back. But the longer Sirius had ranted and raved, the more James had agreed with him.

They had trusted Peter with their lives, and he had betrayed them. Willingly. One of the strongest arguments for using the Fidelius Charm had been the fact that the Secret Keeper could not be forced to divulge his secret. It had to be freely told. They had been so sure that Peter would protect them, but he hadn't.

The more James had listened to Sirius, the more he had wanted to join his best mate in the rat hunt. But that wasn't the answer. They couldn't seek revenge. They had to stay safe, to protect Lily and Harry. James had had to put a full-body bind on Sirius before the latter had listened to reason, but eventually Sirius had agreed to stay put. They were by no means anger-free, but they had calmed down.

That is, until Remus uttered four words. _The Aurors arrested Peter._

Sirius had always been explosive in his anger, and sitting in the kitchen of the safe house, he was true to form. He cursed so loudly and slammed his hand onto the kitchen table so hard that Harry, who had been sitting in the corner playing with some toys, started to cry.

Lily rushed over to her son and took him out of the room and away from Sirius' anger. James put his hand on his best friend's shoulder, and he begged him to calm down once again.

"You should've let me go after him, Prongs!" Sirius nearly shouted, jumping out of his seat. "What're the Aurors going to do with him, huh? Lock him up in a cell in the Ministry and let him go in a couple of days? You heard Dumbledore. If they don't have evidence against him, they won't send him to Azkaban! And what if he transforms and escapes? That little-" Sirius then proceeded to call Peter every vile name James knew and some that he didn't. The man could demonstrate quite an impressive vocabulary when he chose to.

"Pads, you know why you couldn't go after him," James said, now standing also. "It wouldn't have ended well. For either of you."

"Prongs is right, Padfoot," Remus said, coming to stand next to the other two. "There's… a bit more to the story."

James motioned for Remus to continue while Sirius took deep, calming breaths.

"Well, Moody told the Auror Department that Wormtail was a Death Eater, that he had betrayed us. So they were watching for him. Yesterday afternoon, someone saw him in Diagon Alley. When the Aurors went to confront him, he tried to escape. He was desperate, and… and he tried to distract them, divert their attention away from him. So he caused an explosion. Killed five people."

James and Sirius stared at Remus in shock. James would never have guessed that the small, unassuming man would be capable of such an atrocious act. _But then I never thought that he would betray us, either. _

"But they caught him?" Sirius asked, his voice dripping with anger.

Remus nodded. "They managed to stun him. They have him in a magic-restricted cell. He can't do magic, and that includes his Animagus transformation. I checked. He's going to be given a full trial in front of the Wizengamot. He'll be brought to justice."

As James looked at Remus, he saw the conflicting emotions on the werewolf's face that he was also feeling. There was sadness that their friend would be facing time in Azkaban. And confusion, trying to reconcile their memories of Peter with the man that he was now. And anger that their friend- former friend- had betrayed them.

"Has a date been set for the trial?" James asked.

"Not yet, but Dumbledore said he'd let us know," Remus replied.

"So… does this mean that you'll be staying here with us now?" James asked hopefully. When Remus nodded, James continued. "Moony, we need to talk about what happened. We need to-"

Remus held up a hand to stop him. The werewolf looked suddenly so much older than a few seconds before. "I know that we need to talk, but can it wait?"

"Moony-" Sirius was the one to start talking this time, but again, Remus stopped him.

"Please. You two have had time to think. To process. To rest. But I haven't. I've had to be focused on what was going on in the pack ever since that night, and right now, I just need some time."

James and Sirius exchanged a look before returning their gazes to Remus.

"We will talk about this, Moony. All right?" James responded softly. "But only when you are ready."

* * *

A few more days passed. Dumbledore contacted the remaining Marauders and Lily to let them know that Peter's trial had been set for November 11th. One of them would have to testify against Peter, and James had a feeling that it would be him.

James and Sirius had been practicing an amount of patience that neither had known they possessed. Remus had been doing a fairly good job of avoiding them; he was spending a lot of time by himself. And even though James and Sirius were dying to talk to their friend, they had been restraining themselves.

"How long do you think it's going to take before he'll talk to us?" Sirius asked one day. He and James were playing with Harry and a broomstick behind the safe house. They were still within the limits of the Fidelius Charm, and they were taking full advantage of the unseasonably warm weather.

James shrugged. "I think he'll come around soon. He's never been able to be mad at us for too long." He smiled at Sirius. The longest that Remus had ever been mad at any of them had been when Sirius had sent Snape down the tunnel underneath the Whomping Willow, and that had only been for a week. "Hey, Pads, can you watch Harry? I need a drink."

"Sure, Prongs. Get me something too, will you?"

James nodded and went inside but stopped before entering the kitchen. He heard Lily and Remus, who had just gotten back from a meeting with Dumbledore.

"They're going crazy, you know, not being able to talk to you about what happened."

Remus chuckled. "I know. I've been pretty impressed with how well they've respected my need for time."

"Have you had enough time, Remus? Are you ready to talk to them?"

"I- I think so," Remus said cautiously.

James punched the air in a silent victory and went back outside. "Padfoot, Moony's back… and I think he's ready to talk to us."

Sirius stood still for a minute, his face showing his hesitation. But then he picked Harry and the broomstick up and followed James inside.

The broomstick stored by the door, the two Marauders and the mini Marauder entered the kitchen. Harry immediately reached for Lily, who stood to take him out of the room, seeming to know that the Marauders were about to have an important, private conversation.

"Actually, Lily, there's something you need to hear," Remus said.

"What is it? What's happened now?" Lily asked worriedly as everybody sat down at the table.

James noticed that Remus looked incredibly sad.

"Alice and Frank were attacked," Remus said quietly.

Lily gasped and reached for James' hand. Frank and Alice had been in Gryffindor with them, but they were a couple years older. When the Marauders and Lily had joined the Order, the Longbottoms had taken them under their wing. Lily and Alice were especially close, considering the fact that they both knew what it felt like to have a baby in the middle of a war.

"What happened?" James asked.

"They were Crucio'd. It- well, it was too much. They're at St. Mungo's right now. The Healers don't think they'll ever recover."

Tears ran down Lily's cheeks. "What about Neville?" Lily and James had been named Neville's godparents, and James knew that his wife would take the boy in without any hesitation.

"Frank's mum has him."

James nodded. It was probably better that Neville stay with family.

"Poor Alice. And Frank." Lily cried. James gathered her in his arms. "It could've been us, James. It could've so easily been us." James held onto his family more tightly.

Because Lily was right. The prophecy that had made them a target could have applied to either Harry or Neville. Voldemort had decided that it was talking about Harry, but if he had decided on Neville instead, it could have been James and Lily in St. Mungo's instead.

"Who… who did it?" Sirius asked, but his face showed that he already knew the answer.

Remus hesitated before meeting Sirius' gaze. "Bellatrix, Rodolphus, and Rabastan. They think Barty Crouch's son was involved too."

Tension seemed to crackle in the air. A pained look shot across Sirius' face and he buried his head in his hands. He had always hated the fact that his cousin was a Death Eater, had always hated his family's involvement in the Dark Arts. Even though Sirius had had no contact with any of his relatives since being disowned, he still felt guilty.

Remus put his hand on Sirius' shoulder. "None of this is your fault. Nobody blames you, Padfoot."

By now, Lily's crying had stopped. She suddenly pulled away from James and stood. "You three should talk now. I'll leave you alone for a while. Remus, thanks for telling me about Alice and Frank." She looked like she was about to cry again, but she turned quickly and left the room with Harry.

The silence was deafening. But James wasn't sure who should start the talking. If it was supposed to be him, well, for once in his life, he didn't know what to say. Sirius, however, had no such qualms.

"Moony, I'm sorry," Sirius said. Which was enough to shock anyone into silence since Sirius Black rarely apologized. Remus opened his mouth, but Sirius stopped him. "No, Moony, listen. Please. It was my idea to switch Secret Keepers without telling you. It's just that you were distancing yourself from us. We knew you were keeping something from us, but we didn't know what. So I assumed that it meant that you were the traitor. But I was wrong, and I never should have thought that."

Remus stared at his hands on the table. "Did your suspicions have anything to do with me being a werewolf?" His words were quiet, but his voice was hard.

James looked at Sirius, wondering how he would answer.

Sirius took his time, but after a few moments, he did respond. "Honestly, it did. A bit." Remus flinched before Sirius continued quickly. "I had heard what Voldemort was offering the werewolves and that a large group of them had taken him up on his offer. But that wasn't really what made me suspicious. I've known you for so long, Moony, and I know how you act when you don't want us to know something. And that was what really made me suspicious.

"But I shouldn't have doubted you, Remus. Because you are one of the most loyal people I know. And you would never hurt us. So I'm sorry."

Remus' gaze didn't leave his hands. After a few moments, James knew that it was his turn to talk.

"Moony, I'm sorry, too," James said.

"You defended him, Prongs," Sirius said. "Even when I was trying to convince you, you defended him." Sirius looked a bit confused, and James realized that he had never talked to him about his conflicting feelings.

"Yes, I did, but towards the end, I began to doubt, too," James said, shame filling him. "I didn't want to believe anybody was the traitor, Moony, but some of what Padfoot said began to make sense. I don't think I was ever fully convinced that it was you, but I did suspect you, and I shouldn't have. And for that, I'm sorry."

James watched as Remus finally lifted his head to look at the other two Marauders. Tears were misting his eyes, which caused pain to shoot through James' chest. He had never seen Remus cry before. Even though the Marauders had watched him endure agony every month, his eyes had remained dry. James knew then how much their doubts had hurt Remus. He just prayed that it wasn't too late. That Remus would still forgive them and their friendship could be restored.

Remus took a few deep breaths before beginning to speak. His voice was quiet at first, so quiet that James and Sirius had to strain to hear it, but it got stronger as he went on. "Ever since I was bitten, my parents instilled in me this need for secrecy: no one could know what I was. If people found out, they would turn on me, hurt me. There was so much pressure when I started Hogwarts. My parents made it quite clear that if people found out, I wouldn't be allowed to continue. So I built this wall around me. It was safer that way. If I never let anyone in, I would never let my secret out.

"But then I met you two, and despite the wall, you wanted to be friends with me. I hadn't expected to make any friends, so I was surprised when I did. So I let the wall slip down a bit. Then when you found out what I was and still stood beside me, didn't treat me with the disgust and disdain that I thought I deserved, the wall slid down a bit more. And then you became Animagi for me. Even after you witnessed the side of me that I had never let anyone see before, you didn't abandon me. And the wall crumbled down. I have never let anyone in my life in as much as I have with you two.

"I can see why you thought I was the traitor. I am a Dark Creature, after all, and I did not tell you about my missions with the werewolves. But to know that you didn't trust me, to know that I let you in and you judged me poorly… it makes me want to curl inside myself and build up that wall so high that it never has the chance to crumble down again. But I can't do that. I was miserable until I met you two. And I can't be miserable again. I can't make myself do that. You two are the best friends that I have ever had, and I don't want to- I can't lose you. So I forgive you, as long as you forgive me for ever considering turning my back on our friendship."

It was the most James had heard Remus say since that fateful night a week ago. Maybe even the most James had ever heard him say at once.

He had always known that Remus' trust was hard-won. And for a good reason. He had never experienced the prejudiced behavior against werewolves firsthand, but after finding out about Remus' furry little problem, James had somewhat subtly asked his dad about it. He had claimed it was for a project at school, and while his dad had seemed hesitant to accept that reason, he had relented in sharing some of the less gruesome details.

But those details were still gruesome enough for James. It was not unheard of for magical communities to protest the presence of a werewolf. The best-case scenario was complete avoidance of the individual. The worst-case scenario was death. There was a wide range of in-between cases, most of which involved injury to the werewolf. At thirteen, James had found it hard to believe that anyone would want to hurt, let alone kill, his quiet, bookish roommate.

_That one night a month_, James' dad had explained, _taints people's views of them. It doesn't matter what kind of person they are for the rest of the month. People base their opinions on the one night in which werewolves are dangerous._

_ But that's not fair!_ James had exclaimed, only to have his dad shake his head sadly.

_No, it's not. But life is rarely fair, James._

Sitting in the kitchen of their safe house, the words of his dad came back to James. Life, indeed, was rarely fair. It wasn't fair that Voldemort had targeted Muggleborns. It wasn't fair that James and his friends had had to give up their young adulthood to fight in a war they weren't truly prepared for. It wasn't fair that they had doubted Remus who had always been so loyal to them. It wasn't fair that with one action, the sharing of one secret, Peter had ripped apart the Marauders. No, life was not fair.

But as James looked at two men that he had known since he was eleven, he realized that he didn't have to let the unfairness of life ruin his happiness.

"All right. So we all forgive each other. What happens now?" Sirius asked bluntly.

James shrugged, trying to think of something profoundly deep to say. Because that was what the moment seemed to call for.

But then the moment was shattered by Remus' stomach growling loudly. James tried to suppress the laugh that threatened to bubble out of him, but then he heard Sirius' loud guffaw. The three Marauders laughed until they were slumped down in their chairs, out of breath.

"I guess it's just the three of us now?" Remus asked when they had caught their breath a bit.

James nodded. _It will be weird_, he thought. For so long, they had been the four Marauders, scourge of teachers and Slytherins alike. Bane of the Death Eaters' existence. But now they were three.

_Is it going to be hard to adjust? _James thought for a moment. But then he smiled as he looked at his two friends, his brothers. _No, I don't think it will be hard at all._

The End

* * *

Author's Note 2.0: Thank you so much to everyone for reading, favoriting, following, or reviewing! It's very encouraging to read all of your comments.

To say that I'm obsessed with the Marauders is probably a bit of an understatement, and right now, I'm obsessed with the idea of what life would be like for the Marauders if James and Lily had survived that Halloween night. I have plans for several stories surrounding this idea.

So, up next is "The Trial of Peter Pettigrew."

"As much as Lily dreaded Peter's trial, she was also looking forward to it. Looking forward to getting some answers, some resolution, and putting this whole thing behind them. She hoped that, after today, life could return to normal for the Marauders."


End file.
